Measure A.R.T., or average reading time
Writers measure copy in words, inches or pages. Readers use a different measure: time.
So instead of using writer-centric measures, think like your reader.… Read the full article
Concise Writing
Information multitasking & continuous partial attention disorder
Americans consume 15.5 hours of media a day — outside work
When was the last time you found yourself text messaging while checking email, watching TV and talking on the phone?… Read the full article
How to overcome information overload in communication
Hint: Cutting copy is not the solution
It’s the communicator’s biggest problem: How do you get audience members to pay attention to, understand and remember your messages when they’re burdened with so much information?… Read the full article
What is information overload in communication?
Readers face the equivalent of 174 newspapers a day
Talk about TMI: Your readers receive the data equivalent of 174 newspapers a day[1] — ads included.… Read the full article
How to avoid noun phrases
They suck the energy out of your copy
There’s nothing like noun phrases to make a tight sentence long, to transform clear, conversational language into stuffy bureaucratese:
“It is the intention of this team to facilitate the improvement of our company’s processes.”
… Read the full articleWrite like Churchill — in one-syllable words
‘Short words are best, and old words when short are the best of all’
What do you notice about this passage, excerpted from an article in The Economist?… Read the full article
Don’t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns
Action words streamline syllables
This just in, writes one of my favorite correspondents, sharing a sentence his subject matter expert has written:
Somebody just kill me now, my friend writes.… Read the full article
How to hit the best word length for blog posts, other content
Choose Anglo-Saxon words, write to ‘you’ & more
More than 80 years of readability research demonstrate that short words are easiest to read and understand.… Read the full article
What is word length, and why should you care?
Short words No. 1 predictor of readability
Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry spent eight years teaching businesspeople how to write better. As he told Time magazine:
“I’d lecture a bunch of chemists or engineers about the importance of not saying ‘It would be appreciated if you would contact the undersigned by telephone at your earliest possible convenience,’ and instead saying ‘Please call me as soon as you can.’
… Read the full articleWhat’s the best length of a word online?
The New York Times averages 4.9 characters
An editor once counseled me to change all the instances of employment in an article to jobs.
Great advice.… Read the full article